Warning light and searchlight combination



Feb. 1, 1949; J. D. KENNELLY WARNING LIGHT AND SEARCHLIGHT COMBINATIONFiled JanfEl, 1947 Patented Feb. 1, 1 949 WARNING LIGHT AND SEARCHLIGHTCOMBINATION Jeremiah D. Kennelly. Oak Park, 111. Application January 31,1947, Serial No. 725,689

This invention relates to signal apparatus and more particularly to acombined light projectin device selectively capable of illumination andof motor driven light signal projection.

In the operation of police cars, ambulances, and other emergencyvehicles, it is important to provide light signal devices while at thesame time employing manually effective means for directing the directionof the light, as well as providing means for illumination. 'An object ofthe present invention is to provide such a mechanism while enabling thecontrol thereof to be eiiected from within the vehicle. Another objectis to provide a combination search light and motor driven signal device,combined in such a manner that they may be operated from within thevehicle compartment While enabling the signal portion of the device tobe projected in any selected direction and at times employedsimultaneously with the illuminating portion of the device. Otherspecific objects and advantages will appear as the specificationproceeds.

The invention is illustrated in a-single embodiment, by the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. lis a broken side View in elevation of apparatusembodying my invention; Fig. 2, a plan sectional View, the section beingtaken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. l, and Fig, 3, a wiring diagramshowing the interconnection of the elec trical components of myinvention.

In the illustration given, it? designates a casing in which is mountedon one side thereof a light equipped reflector I l providing anilluminating or search light. The search light is provided with a lens!2 and an electrical connection l3 furnishes the current for the ulb.

On the opposite side of the casing I is mounted a bulb equippedreflector it. The reflector i l is provided at its front with a ringhaving pins It mounted within a bearing ll carried by the casing. A lensI8 is mounted in the front part of the casing and in front ofthereflector. Electric current is furnished to the bulb within thereflector M by the cable IS.

The casing Ill is secured within a base member provided centrally with avertical recess receiving the hollow shaft 2|. A hollow nut 22 isclamped against. the base member 28 so as to lock the shaft 2! rigidlythereagainst.

Mounted upon the base 20 is a motor 23 which drives through reducinggears 24 a shaft 25. The

shaft 25 is provided with an eccentric arm 26 pivotally connected at itsend to the link 21.

5 Claims. (Cl. Iii-327) The link 21 is connected at its outer end bymeans of pivot pin 28 to an arm 29 fixed to the ring l5.

Fixed to the lower end of base 20 is a hollow horizontal casing 39 whichrotatably supports an actuating hollow shaft 3|. The shaft 3| carries atits outer end a bevelled gear 32 which is centrally apertured and whichmeshes with the bevelled gear 33 carried by shaft 2!. The shaft 2| isprovided with a horizontal flange 34 received within a recess in thebottom of base 20. A perforated cylindrical disc 35 is supported justbelow the flange 34 and is secured to the casing 39 by spot welding orby keys or by any other suitable means. The plate 35 is apertured toreceive the lower portion of the shaft 2i.

The casing 38 extends through a wall 36 of the vehicle and into theinterior of the vehicle. A flange 31 may be provided for forming a.tight seal with the wall 36 through which the casing 36 extends.

The casing 36, on its inner end, provides a chamber 38 for receiving themanually actuated means. The tube 3!, at its inner end, is provided withbevelled gear 39 and the gear 39 meshes with the hollow bevelled gear40. The shaft 4|, upon which gear in is mounted, extends downwardlythrough the casing 39 and is fixed to a hollow rotatable handle 42. Uponrotation of the handle 52, shaft 5! and pinion ll] are caused to rotate.A- switch is mounted within the handle 52 and is actuated by a switchlever 43 extending from the bottom of the handle 52. The lever switch 33is arranged to control the motor 23.

Mounted within the chamber 38 is a light switch a l controlled by aswitch lever 35 which extends through the wall of casing 38. A secondlight switch 46 is mounted in the lower portion of chamber as and iscontrolled by the lever 41. Leading from the switches are cables whichpass through the hollow pinion 39, tube 3!, hollow gears 32 and 33, andthence through the shaft 2! into the interior of easing iii. A cable 48leads through an opening in casing 39 to any source of current outside:the'casing and supplies current to the three switches.

The casin 38 may extend through any suitable wall 35 of the' vehicle. Itmay extend through the windshield or through the side post supportingthe windshield of an automobile, or it may extend through the roof ofthe automobile or other vehicle. With the light structure to on theoutside of the vehicle supported upon casing 33, the operator within thevehicle may set the motor 23 into operation and may rotate the easing H3in any desired direction, illuminating 3 either of the lights. Thesearch light H may be set into operation by moving the lever ll toclosed position. The signal light may be illuminated by closing leverswitch 45.

The electrical connections of the lights, the motor, and the variousswitches are shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the groundsymbols shown in Fig. 3 denote connection to the metallic frame of thevehicle, as is customary in electrical wiring in automobiles and othermobile vehicles.

When the vehicle is passing along a straight highway, the signalapparatus is preferably di'-- rected straight ahead so that the motor 23oscil.-' lates the light equipped reflector l4 laterally across thehighway. In this operation, the motor rotates the shaft 25 and theeccentric arm 26 moves the link 27 backwardlyand forwardly, causing themember Hi to pivot upon the pins It. When, however, the highway swingsto the right or left, or where an intersection is approached with tramsmoving from the right or the left, it is desirable to swing casing iilaterally so. that the. oscillating device it sweeps the road to theright or left Well before the. car itself reaches the curve orthe'intersection. The operator accomplishes, this by rotating handle 42and thereby bevelled gears tila-nd 39. This produces a rotation of tube3i, gears 32 and 33, and the hollow shaft 2! which isfiXed to the base26.

Alternatively, whenthe need for a signal light is not present, theoperator may completely rotate the casing it so, as to bring the searchlight ll intoplay upon the road ahead or upon areas to the right or leftof. the read. When approaching an intersection, the driver of theemergency Vehicle may prefer to turn the oscillating signal device i iin the direction of the cross-road to the right or the left where mostof. the traffic is approaching, while simultaneously bringing the searchlight to play upon the opposite side of the roadway. Thus, the operatoris able to project the. warning light in the necessary direction whileproviding ample illumination for the side of the road opposite and alongwhich it may be desired to. turn.

For the greater. part of the time, it will be the normal practice toemploy only one of the lights at times none of the lights. In the caseof an emergency, the oscillating lamp structure It is set into operationand its ambit of sweep controlled while the spotlight may also beutilized under certain circumstances, as already described. Should thelight structure-be. mounted upon the roof of a squad car, the search orspotlight ll may be effectively employed while the oscillating lamp i3is also set into operation to warn the trafiic following against suddenstoppage-or turning of the car.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth certain details ofstructure and certain illustrated uses of the invention, it will beunderstood that the details of such structure may be varied widely bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of myinvention, and that the uses to which the apparatus may be put may befor many others than those indicated.

)1 claim:

1. In a manually controlled light structure having an arm extendingthrough the wall of a 4 vehicle, a casing rotatably mounted on said arm,a pair of angularly disposed lights mounted on said casing, said casinghaving opening for said lights and at least one of said lights beingmovably mounted; power means for oscillating said movably mounted light,and means associated with the inner end of said arm and with said casingfor moving said casing relatively to said 2. In a manually controlledlight structure having an arm extending through the wall Of a vehicleand a controlling handle within the vehicle, a casing rotatably mountedon said arm, lights mounted on opposite sides of said casing,

said casing having openings for said lights and r at least one of saidlights being movably mounted, power means within said casing foroscillating said light, and means associated with said handleforrotating said casing and for selectively controlling said lightsand saidpower means.

3. In a manually controlled light structure having, an arm extendingthrough the wall of avehicle, a. casing rotatably mounted on said armand open at its ends, a search light mounted in one end of said: casing,a signal light movably mounted. in the other end of said casing, a motorfor oscillating said. signal light, and means within said vehicle andassociated with said arm for rotating said casing and for selectivelycontrolling each of said lights andsaid motor.

4. In a manually controlled, light structure having, an arm extendingthrough" the wall of a vehicle, an open-ended casing ro tatably mountedon said arm, a. stationary spot-light supported in one endof saidcasing, a pivotally mountedsignal light supported in. the other end ofsaid casing, a motor mounted insaidcasing foroscillating said signallight, switch means associated with said arm on the interior of saidvehicle for controlling said. motor and said signal light, a separateswitch for, controlling said. spot-light, and means associated with.the'i'nner endof said arm for rotating said: casing.v

5. A manually controlled light structure having a hollow arm extendingthrough a W211" of a vehicle, a. casing movably mounted on said arm,

pa'irof. lights mounted in said casing, said casing having openingstherein aligned with said lights one of said-lights being movablymounted; a motor supported in said casing, means driven by said motorfor oscillating said movably mounted light, cables extending'throughsaid arm and intov said casing for connecting said lights and saidmotorwith a source of current, and switches controlling said cables andmounted on the inner end of said. hollowarm.

JEREMIAH D. KENNEL-LY.

REFERENCES CITED The following. references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,548,958 Sperry Aug. 11., 19251,670,682 Halvors'on et al., .May 22, 19.28 1,772,499 Rumsey Aug. 12',1930 2,414,807 Gross Jan. 23, 1947

